Foldable reflex-camera.



LBRAUBURGER. FOLDABLE REFLEX CAMERA. APPLICATION FILED AUG.28, 1908.

3,353 Patented Feb. 23, 1909.

` hinge point of the frosted UNITED SATES PAEN ERNST BRAUBURGER, OFFRIEDENAU, NEAR BERLIN,l GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO THE FIRM OF OPTISCHEANSTALT C. P. GERMANY.

GOERZ AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT, OF FRIEDENAU,

FOLDABLE REFLEX-CAMERA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 23, i909.

Application filed August 28, .98. Serial No. 450,786.

a citizen of the German Empire, and resident of Friedenau, near Berlin,Germany7 -engineer, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inFoldable Reflex- Canieras, of which the following is a specilication.

This invention relates to a foldable reflex camera in which the mirrorand frosted plate are hinged to the back frame of the camera. l

In known reliex cameras which can be folded in the manner of books theobjective board is directly hinged to a camera-wall of which the endopposite the hinge-point of the objective board is rotatably connectedtothe back frame. rI`his method of connecting the objective board to theback frame necessitates a particular length of the camera-wall whichcarries the objective board, and dependent thereon a particular distanceof the objective from the image plane when the camera is in position foruse. Since the size of the mirror or frosted plate to be used depends onthe size of the mage-aperture it is not possible, in the case of theknown foldable reflex cameras, to select the distance of the objectiveboard from the image plane independently of the size of the imageaperture, viz: to so select it that the fdc-al length of the objectiveis conveniently proportioned relatively. to the size of thevimageaperture. It is found that in the case of the known relieX camerasfoldable in the manner of books objectives of.

undesirably large focal length must be selected owing to Athe fact thatthe camerawa-ll carrying the objective board must be of comparativelygreat length in view of the length of mirror required for a certain sizeof image-aperture.

Aocordin to the present invention independence o the objective'-ffocallength from the size of the image-aperture is secured by not hinging theobjective board directly to the frosted plate carrier but hinging saineby nieans of angintermediate piece which renders it possible, whenfolding the camera, to displace the objective frame from the latecarrier, and to move it toward the said) hinge point, or towards theback frame of the camera, when moving the parts into working position.In

R conjunction with this arrangement of the objective board is anarrangement' of the frosted plate in its carrier in such manner that inthe working position of the camera it is farther from the optical axisthan the point of rotation of the mirror. This will be made clear in thefollowing description, reference being made to the annexed drawing.

The displacement of the frosted plate from the optical anis beyond thepoint of in such manner that the frosted plate orins the cover of abottomless box hinged to the back frame5 with its bottom aperture closedand made light-proof ,by the mirror. In j this manner a simple elementof 'the conlsirnction prevents access of light through the frosted plateto the interior of the camera while the camera isl in operativeposition.

The invention is illustrated by means of an example ofconstruction inthe annexed drawing'.

Figure l is a longitudinal section of the camera in working position.Fig. 2 isa similar section of the camera in the position of rest orfolded. Fig. 3 is a top plan of the camera in working position. view ofthe folded camera witli part of the casing-wall broken away. F ig. 5shows 'the camera from the side opposite to that seen in Fig. 4. Fig. 6shows the releasing mechanism of the camera by means of two viewsperpendicular to each other and in section on the line 6---6.

In the drawing the camera casing for reception of the plate end closureis marked l. The objective board has the denomination 2 and is hinged tothe camera casing by lateral foldablc struts 3. The light-proofconnection of the objective board to the camera casing is made by abellows fr.

5 is an adjusting bellows ei'ectable over the frosted plate 6 andstiffened by a cover plate 'i' and cover plate 9, thc latter havingview-holes 8. On the cover plate 9 is a closing flap l0.

The objective board is pivotally connected to the back frame by a wallplate ll and frosted plate carrier l2 with hinge axle 13, as well as bythe struts 3. The adjusting mirror rotatable about the hinge axis 13 ofthe frosted plate carrier is marked la. A helical spring l5 tends tomove the mirror into its position of rest in which it abats Fig. fi is aside rotation of the mirror preferably takes lace against the loweraperture 'of the frosted n plate carrier, which forms a box-like casingi axle of the adjusting mirror 14 and adapted open at the bottom, asshown in Fig. 2. On the axle of' the adjusting mirror 14 there is an arm16 serving as an abutment adapted to co-act with a locking projection17. The locking projection 17 is mounted on a resilient metal piece 18which is fastened to the casing and can be so bent from the casing wallby a bolt 19 having an inclined plane and press button 20, that theprojection 17 releases the arm16. spring 21 tends to hold theA bolt 19permanently in its position of rest, which is illustrated in the figuresof the drawing.

22 and 23 indicate the winding rollers of a curtain shutter 24, whichcan be held in thewound up position by a pawl 26 engaging a ratchetwheel 25. The connection of the ratchet wheel 25 to the winding rollerof the curtain (in the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the upperwinding roller) is made by toothed wheels 27, 28 of which the latter issupposed to be mounted on the axle .of winding roller 22.

29 indicates an eccentric mounted on the toco-act with the pawl 26,

30 is a spring which tends to hold the pavvl 26 in permanent engagementwith the ratchet wheel 25. Y

31 indicates two lateral bi-partite' rods, with joint marked at 82,.connecting the camera casing to the arms 3.

'lhe manner of using the camera, and its action, are as follows: Let itbe assumed the camera is in the workingposition shown in Figs. 1 and Inthis case the image projectcd by the objective mounted in the ob'jecti've board is reiieXed by the mirror 14 on to the frosted plate 6and can be seen thereon through the view holes 8, so that the adjustmentof the objective to the respective focus can be effected in the knownmanner.

If after the adjustment a picture is to be taken the adjusting mirror isreleased by pressure on the button 20, and the slide ,19 pushes back theresilient plate 18 carrying the projection 17 so that the arm 16 canmove past the projection. As soon as the arm 16 is released the mirror14 is rotated upwards by the action of the spring 15 so that it entersfrom below thebox-like frosted plate carrier 12, and makes a light-proofclosure of the interior of the camera. Together with the upwardmovcn'icnt of the mirror 14 there takes place a rotation of theeccentric 29 on the mirror axle, so that at the moment a't which themirror reaches its 'upper position the release of the pawl 26 from theteeth of the ratchetwheel 25 is effected. A spring-pull acting in thcknown manner on the curtain 24 then causes the shutter to act, since thetoothed wheels 27, 28 no longer prevent rotation of the curtain roller22, the

pawl 26 being disengaged. By winding up the curtain again any desirednumber of pictures can be taken in the manner described. y

Then the camera is to be folded the rods 31 are bent and the arms 3connecting the objective board 2 with the camera casing -are thus nolonger prevented from rotating and are rotated downwards into thpositionshown in Fig. 2; the halves of the rods 31', connected by the joint 32,are thus folded together, and the objective board yis laid against theunder side of the camera casing as shown in Figs. 2, 4 and 5. Duringthis folding o f the arms 31 the under part of the bellows 4 is foldedas shown in Fig. 2. 'lo- 4gether with the folding of the arms 3 with theobjective board 42 there takes place a folding' of the box-like'frostedplate carrier 12 and of the camera wall 11 connect- -ing the same withthe objective board, these parts'being moved into the position shown inFig. 2. The bellows parts 4 and 5 are laid together in the manner shownin Fig.

and folded cover 10 se- 2, and the cover 7 so thatv the cureA the partsvfrom outside,

camera parts substantially 'appear as 1n-` closed in a simple casing. Byrepeating'th` operations in the reversed order the camera can be broughtback to its working condition.

Having now partially described and ascertained the nature of my saidinvention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare thatwhat I claim is:

1. In a foldable reflex camera a back frame, av pivotallymountedreiector, a frosted plate, a carrier for same, pivotally connected tosaid back frame, an objective carrier, a rigid intermediate memberbetween said objective carrier an frosted plate carrier pivoted both tothe frosted plate carrier and to the objective carrier and adapted toform a part of the camera casing when the camera 1s closed and 'alight-tight foldable structure connected to said back frame, objectiveand frosted plate a carrier and intermediate member and adapted to forma. camera box.

2. In a foldable reflex camera a back frame, a pivotally mountedreflector, 'a frosted plate mounted at a distancefrom the pivot of saidreflector, a carrier for said 'frosted plate pivotally connected to`said back frame,van objective carrier, a rigid intermediate memberbetween said objective carrier and frosted plate carrier pivoted both tothe frosted plate carrier and to the objective carrier andf'adapted toforma part of the camera casing when the camera is closed and alight-tight foldable structure connected to said back frame, objectiveand frosted plate carrier and intermediate member and adapted to form acamra box.

3. In a foldablereflex camera" a back frame, a pivotally mountedreflector, a

frosted plate-a carrier for same in the form of a bottomless box hingedto the back frame with the frosted plate as a cover, the reflectorarranged in a manner adapted to iighttightly close the bottom opening ofsaid box, an objective carrier, an intermediate member betweensame andsaid bottomless box pivoted both to the objective carrier and to thebottomess box carrier of the frosted piate and a lightfti ht oldablestructure connected to said bac r frame, objective and frosted' platecarrier and intermediate member and ada ted to form a camera box.

.4. In a oidabie reiiex camera a back frame, a pivotally mountedreflector,v a frosted pate, a carrier for same in 'the form of abottomless box hinged to the back frame with the frosted plate as acover, the reiector having its tnrning axis coinciding with tbeturmngaxis of the bottomless box and arranged in a manner adapted toiighttightiy close the bottom opening of said box, an objective carrier,an mtermediate member between same and said bottomls box pivoted both tothe obective carrier and to the bottomless box carrier ofthe frostedplate and va light-tight foldabie structure connected to said backframe, objective and frosted plate carrier and intermediate member andadapted to form a camera box.

5. In a foldable reex camera a lback frosted plate, a carrier for samepivotally connected to sald back frame, an ob3ect1ve carrier, a foldablestrut connection between said objective carrier Aand back frame, a

rigid intermediate member between said objective carrier and frostedplate carrier pivoted both to the objective carrier and to the frostedplate carrier and adapted to form a part of the camera casing when thecamera is closed and a light-tight foidable structure connected to saidback frame, objective and.

.fra-me, a pivotally4 mounted reeotor, a i

